Valve announces Dota 2 update with 2 new characters

This year’s Dota 2 tournament at The International 2017 e-sports event has been full of surprises. First fans were treated to a special demonstration of an AI bot crushing one of the game’s top professional players, and then developer Valve used the second to last day to reveal that two new characters would be debuting soon. A quick teaser video showed the pair in action, as well as announced that a new update titled Dueling Fates is on the way.

Neither character was named nor were their abilities specified, but the first is an armadillo-like (or pangolin-like, to be more specific) swordsman with quick sword attacks and a Zorro-like persona. Along with sword strikes and quick movement, it’s a likely bet the character will be able to roll up into a ball like the animal it’s designed after, either as a defensive maneuver or escape ability.

The other, a lantern-carrying pink fairy, is assumed to be Sylph, a character that has been referenced and speculated on by players for months now. Files detailing the character and its abilities were discovered in the game back in May, and its description as an air spirit matches with the appearance in the video.

As for the Dueling Fates Update, an exact date wasn’t revealed, but it’s expected to be released sometime following The International event this weekend. Along with the new characters, the patch will presumably include balance adjustments and other changes to Dota 2 as a whole.